Yarn tensioning and control mechanism



Feb. 14, 1961 M. B.'PENMAN 2,971,722

YARN TENSIONING AND CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 6 T I INVENTOR MONTGOMERY B. PENMAN ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1961 M. B. PENMAN 2,971,722

YARN TENSIONING AND CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 29.' 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2 FIG. 3

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INVENTOR MONTGOMERY B. PENMAN ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1961 M. B. PENMAN 7 YARN TENSIONING AND CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4 F|G.5

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ilnited States Patent fifice 2,971,722 Patented Feb. 14, 1961 YARN TENSIONING AND CONTROL MECHANISM Montgomery B. Penman, Bloomsbnrg, Pa., assignor to The Magee Carpet Company, Bloomsburg, Pa., a corporatien of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 29, 1956, Ser. No. 574,745

12 Claims. (Cl. 242149) This invention relates to yarn feeding and control mechanism for multiple tufting machines.

In my prior application, Serial No. 445,768, filed July 26, 1954, now Patent No. 2,898,876, I disclosed a multiple needle tufting machine having means for controlling the feeding of the individual yarns to the needles and it is an object of the present invention to provide tube supporting units for guiding and controlling the feeding of yarns to a large number of needles such as employed in tufting machines for making carpets.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a plurality of yarn guide tube supporting members, each member supporting a plurality of tubes through which the yarns pass leading to the needles of the tufting machine, the supporting members having interfitting engagement with adjacent members but capable of independent removal.

A still further object of the invention resides in compactly mounting a series of yarn guide tubes together with yarn control means for each tube on a supporting member which is independently mounted on the machine and may be readily removed therefrom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout-the same:

Fig. '1 is a front elevational' view of the supporting member for the guidetubes and yarn control means,

Fig. 2 is an elevational viewof the one side of the supporting member,

' Fig. 3 is an elevational view Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is top plan View,

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical sectional view showing the arrangement of the; guide passages in the supporting member,

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the guide passage showing the yarn held against movement, and,

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of a pair of yarn guide members in operative relation.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 denotes generally one of a plurality of yarn guide tube supporting taken on line 4-4 taken on line 6-6 of -"the other side of tached to the upper ends of the side walls 6 and projecting outwardly therefrom in overhanging relation to the shoulders 8. The plate has a series of openings 12 to receive the flared upper ends 13 of the tubes and a cover plate 14 is removably attached to the plate 11 by screws 15. A series of openings 16 in the cover plate are alined with the bores of the tubes 10 and the yarns from a source of supply, such as a creel, pass through the tubes and passages 9, there being one yarn for each needle of the tufting machine.

Attached to the outer faces of the side walls 6 are a series of solenoids 17 supported by U-shape brackets 18 and covering the outer ends of the solenoids is a bar 19 spaced from the brackets by collars 20 and attached to the brackets by screws 21. There is one solenoid for each of the passages 9 and the solenoids are positioned so the reduced inner end 22 of the solenoid core 23 is slidable in transverse passages 24 formed in the panel 7 which communicate with and intersect the vertical passages 9. A stem 25 extends from the outer end of the core 23 and projects through openings 26 in the bar 19. Attached to one of the bars 19 is a series of electrical terminals 27 for connecting the circuit wires 28 to the various solenoids, said circuit wires being connected with a pattern controlled circuit making and breaking means such as disclosed in my prior application. Upon energizing of the solenoids the cores move inwardly causing the reduced ends 22 to intersect the bore of the passages 9 and thereby clamp the yarn 29 against the wall of the passage to hold it against movement, as clearly shown in Fig. 8.

In practice there are a series of the supporting members 5, the number depending on the number of needles. The members 5 are supported on suitable cross bars on the tufting machine, with each member in interfitting relation to the next adjacent member but readily removable as a unit when it is necessary to make adjustments or repairs. The tubes 10 of each member fit between the side walls of the next adjacent member with theoutermost tubes abutting against the rear wall of the upper most oil-set portion of panel 7 and the longitudinal edges of the side walls of adjacent members are in spaced relation. To remove one of the members 5 the means fastening the member to the cross bars is removed andthe member maythen be lifted upwardly until his free from adjacent members. To remove'the individual tubes-10 from the supporting member the cover plate 14'is'reherein shown and described is a preferred example of the same and changes in the shape,.size and arrangement of members, each comprising a metal casting havingvertically inclined parallel side walls 6 connected by a verti-' oally disposed panel 7 which is oil-set at spaced elevations to provide a series of shoulders '8 in vertical stepped relation. Each off-set portion 7' of thepanel is providedwith a pair of vertical passages 9 opening through the the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim; 1. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple. needle tufting machines comprising a yarn guiding member mounted above the needle bar of the machine, said memher having a panel formed with a plurality of transverse shoulders in vertical stepped relation to each other, each shoulder having a row of passages extending downwardly through the' panel for the p'assage of yarns, solenoids mounted on the ends of said panel in corresponding stepped relation to said shoulders and plungers operated by said solenoids, said'plungers being slidably mounted Lin openings in the ends of said panel disposed in stepped 3 relation and intersecting said passages whereby said plungers are movable to grip the yarns.

2. A yarn tensioning mechanism as defined in claim 1 including rows of tubes mounted on" said shoulders in alinement with said passages. I

3. A yarn tensioning mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein the row of passages in each shoulder is arranged in staggered relation to the row of passages in the next shoulder.

4. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines comprising a yarn guiding member mounted above the needle bar of the machine, said member having a panel formed with a plurality of shoulders in vertical stepped relation to each other, each shoulder having a row of passages extending through the panel for the passage of yarns, said panel having side Walls provided with openings disposed in corresponding stepped relation to said shoulders and intersecting said passages, plungers slidably mounted in said'openings for gripping and holding the yarns in said passages and solenoids mounted on said side walls for operating said'plungers. 5. A 'yarn tensioning mechanism of the character defined in claim 4 including rows of tubes mounted on said shoulders in alinement' with said passages.

6. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines comprising a series of independent yarn guilding members mounted above the needle bar of the machine, each member comprising a series of'parallel rows of tubes for the passage of the yarns, opposed side walls parallel to said rows of tubes, said sidewalls being inclined to the longitudinal axis of said tubes with one edge extending from the'lower ends of the rows of tubes to overlap rows of tubes of the next adjacent guide member, and means mounted along the longitudinal axis of said side walls in stepped relation for gripping and hold 7 ing the yarns in said tubes.

7. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines comprising a series of independent yarn guiding members mounted above the needle bar of the machine, each member comprising a panel formed with a plurality of shoulders in vertical stepped relation to each. other, each shoulder having a row of passages extending through the panel, rows of tubes mounted on said shoulders in alinement with said passagesfor the passage of the yarns, opposed side walls parallel to the rows of tubes and inclined to the longitudinal axis of said tubes with one edge extending from the lower ends of the rows of tubes to overlap rows of tubes of the next adjacent guide member, plungers slidably mounted in .said side walls and panel in corresponding stepped relation to said shoulders and intersecting said passages, and solenoids for actuating saidplungers to grip the yarns in said passages.

' 8. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines comprising a yarn guiding member mounted above the needle bar of the machine, said memher having a panel formed of off-set sections disposed in vertical stepped relation to each other, each section having a row of vertical passages therethrough for the passage of yarns, and means mounted on the ends of each panel section in corresponding stepped relation to said panel sections and operable to intersect said passages to grip and hold the yarns.

9. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines as described in claim 8 having tubes extending upwardly from the passages in the panel sections.

10. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines as described in claim 8 wherein the rows of passages are disposed in staggered relation.

11. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines comprising a supporting member mounted above the needle bar of the machine having a series of parallel rows of yarn guiding passages through said member and means mounted on the ends of said member in vertical stepped relation operable to intersect said passages for selectively gripping the yarn in said passages. 7

12. A yarn tensioning mechanism for multiple needle tufting machines comprising a yarn guiding member mounted above the needle bar of the machine, said memher having parallel rows of tubes for the passage of yarns, with each successive row of tubes beingof a different length, and means mounted on the ends of said member in vertical stepped-relation operable to intersect said tubes to grip and hold the yarns passing through said tubes.

References Cited in the. file bf this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,014,050 Davis Ian. 9, 1912 1,917,411 Weis Julyll, 1933 1,984,330 Boyce Dec. 11, 1934 2,205,383 Haas June 25, 1940 2,411,268 Hamrick'-. Nov. 19, 1946 2,577,266 Payne Dec. 4, 1951 2,582,211 Turner Jan. 8, 1952 r 2,782,741 Smith Feb. 26, 1957 

